5 Things to do in San Diego.

1. Visit the seals at Seal Beach (aka. Children's Beach)
2. Have a bonfire and s'mores on the beach
3. Hike Mt. Woodsen and get a picture on Potato Chip Rock
4. Visit Coronado for a day at the beach
5. Have a sunset dinner at George's on the Cove

Color My World.

I did a little bit of colorizing on the plane back to Colorado from Georgia yesterday.  Let me know what you think of these that I did on iSplash.  Xx, Summer

The Camera+ App.

I have this new favorite app called Camera+.  It does this:

These photos were taken on my first Colorado hike in the Chautauqua Trails in Boulder.  I never knew why everyone said the air was thin here in Colorado because I've lived here my whole life.  But after living at sea level for about 3 years, I finally understand.  I couldn't make it to the top of the trail because I was so out of breath.

(This one was in Lakeside, CA)

There is one downside to downloading this app though...  I keep getting disappointed by real life because it's not as beautiful as it is in my photos. 

Blue Bottle & Boba.

San Francisco was incredibly charming and surprisingly cold.  I've always dreamt of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, and I couldn't leave California quite yet until I did.  I am so happy that Amanda and I decided to go on weekend adventure to SF for the 4th of July!  There are so many different personalities that you can travel with, but my absolute favorite people to travel with are those that can just go with the flow.  Amanda and I tried to treat each moment as an adventure and that is exactly what we got!  I have found from traveling all over Australia, Europe, and the US that the best memories are not planned.

My favorite moments in San Francisco were definitely ones that we could've never dreamt up:

• Almost setting an entire backyard on fire with a sparkler
• Photo bombing random people on the street and then becoming friends
• Experiencing a real life "hipster" sports bar
• Randomly walking into a polka-festival
• Mutant lemons
• Singing "I'll make a man out of you" from Mulan (our new theme song)
• Train rides with Boba
• Pink Mustaches on cars (Lyft)
• Experiencing my first Kyoto coffee from Blue Bottle
• Spiked milkshakes at Super Duper
• Seeing 5 fireworks shows at once from the top of a hill

Brandy Melville USA.

I have lived in San Diego for about 1 year and half exactly now.  Tell me why is it that I have just learned of this store in Pacific Beach?   Brandy Melville USA.  It's so perfectly California.  It's not too expensive either.  I will definitely be stocking up on Cali gear at this store before I leave.  (You see- you have to get the touristy stuff when you leave a place, not when you arrive.)

I wear my Colorado and Vail stuff when I am in Australia.  

I wear my Australia gear in California. 

And I will wear my Brandy Melville clothing in New Zealand. 

Some exceptions for wearing same-country clothing while in said country may apply:

when it is the country's "Day" 

some other memorial day 

 independence day 

or anything relating to wars or freedom

 or if you just feel patriotic that day.

I have a friend that can do this...

                

If you go to Sea World (which I have been doing almost every day for the past few weeks), definitely go see the Cirque de la Mer show!  It's pretty rad, plus my friend Kristin performs on the high plank and she can do some sweet stuff like this leg lifty thing.  Check it out.

Pretty Swell.

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"Go out there and make it happen. You can do it."

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{J.Crew - Pretty Swell}

Good Vibes.

{via Planet Blue May 2013 Lookbook}

Living a Focused Life.

Knowing your purpose focuses your life.  It concentrates your effort and energy on what’s important.  You become effective by being selective. 

It’s human nature to get distracted by minor issues.  Henry David Thoreau observed that people live lives of “quiet desperation,” but today a better description is aimless distraction. 

Without a clear purpose, you will keep changing directions, jobs, relationship, church, or other externals- hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart.  You think, Maybe this time it will be different, but it doesn’t solve your real problem - a lack of focus and purpose. 

The power of focusing can be seen in light. Diffused light has little power or impact, but you can concentrate its energy by focusing it. With a magnifying glass, the rays of the sun can be focused to set grass or paper on fire.  When light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel. 

There is nothing quite as potent as a focused life, one living on purpose. 

“I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,” The Apostle Paul.

If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling.  Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most. 

Excerpt from The Purpose Driven Life

The Flower Fields.

I had a lovely weekend with my gorgeous friends.  I went to a drive-in movie for the first time.  It was picturesque in a little red convertible with the top down.   Then, some friends and I headed up to Carlsbad, CA for a beautiful girl's day out in The Flower Fields.  I hadn't even heard of this place until this weekend, but it was really fun!  I believe the flowers are only in bloom for 2 or 3 months out of the year, so make sure to time it right if you decide to go.

Knit & Leather.

Michael Greg is a San Francisco based knitwear designer.  I can't think of anything better than wrapping up in these cozy knits on a cool San Diego spring evenings by the ocean. Club Couture's leather is the perfect contrast for these knits.  So, I sprinkled in some spicy pictures from their Spring 2013 lookbook with Michael Greg's sweet knits.  I feel like the two of these designs together sort of represent me... a bowl of sugar and flour fluff with a bit of spice. Gingerbread cookies, maybe?  Check out this post from way back when: Betty & Veronica.